Spring car care: how to wash your car after winter

Winter has hopefully finally had its say and we can finally look forward to warmer days and with them taking care of our cars. After winter it is important to wash the car thoroughly first. Aggressive road salt and other chemicals on the paint leave their marks, which you will not remove with a standard car shampoo. In this article we will show how to thoroughly remove salt and other contaminants and prepare the car for the spring months.

First it is important to remove salt from the paint

Road salt used in winter on the roads can have a very negative effect on a car's paint. Salt contains chemical substances such as sodium chloride and calcium chloride, which have corrosive characteristics. It easily adheres to the paint surface and penetrates even small cracks and scratches, where it accelerates the corrosion process. Salt also disrupts the protective layer of the paint, so the sooner you remove salt and other chemicals, the better. However, ordinary washing with car shampoo will not completely remove road salt from the paint and it is advisable to use acidic products that dissolve the salt. For this, for example, Gyeon Q²M Bug&Grime is ideal, which due to its slightly acidic composition reliably removes road salt and other contaminants. The procedure is simple - spray across the entire surface of the car, let it work for a while and rinse with a strong stream of water. Do not skip any part of the car exterior and remember to use it in the engine bay as well, where there is plenty of salt after winter. Since Bug&Grime is recommended to be used before every wash, you will certainly use it in the future and it is worth buying the more economical one-litre packaging. Alternatively, decontamination shampoos or active foams can be used, but these are mostly alkaline with a pH greater than 7 and will not deal with salt as well as the mentioned Bug&Grime.

We continue by cleaning wheels and tyres

Wheels probably took the biggest hit in winter and the omnipresent salt and other chemicals must of course be removed. If you use the same set of wheels in winter and summer, you should be doubly attentive; the same procedure can also be applied to the summer set. Few people thoroughly clean and store wheels in autumn. Credit goes to the exceptions who can skip this step with a clear conscience. And what to use to clean wheels after winter? An ideal helper for these purposes is a fly rust remover, for example Gyeon Q²M Iron WheelCleaner. It easily handles iron deposits and other contaminants. The improved gel formula offers higher effectiveness and finally a more acceptable "scent", if that can be called a scent. For normal contamination, it is usually enough to spray the product on the wheel surfaces, leave it for a few minutes (until you see the typical purple colour indicating a reaction with iron particles) and rinse with water, or "fine-tune" heavy dirt with a brush. At least after winter, however, we prefer a more thorough cleaning using a wash mitt or ideally wheel brushes. And especially when the wheels are on the car and access is therefore more difficult. On that occasion we also recommend thoroughly cleaning the tyres using Gyeon Q²M TireCleaner, which together with a tyre brush will remove embedded grime and provide ideal conditions for applying a tyre dressing.

Decontamination of the paint will remove fallout rust, tar and other contaminants

Like wheels, the paint also needs relief after winter from fallout rust, accumulated water spots or tar. Decontamination removes these contaminants from the paint and prepares it for subsequent paint protection, which in most cases will already be non-functional after winter. An exception may be multi-year ceramic protection if it is not yet at the end of its life. Even in the case of functional ceramic protection you should not skip this step. Ceramic protection often needs a small detox and refresh after winter to maintain its properties. And if you use a pH-neutral product to remove fallout rust, such as Gyeon Q²M Iron, you do not have to worry about disturbing the protective layer. So what is the procedure for decontamination? First spray Iron on the paint, let it work for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly with a strong stream of water. We recommend working in sections so that Iron does not dry on the paint. Next, focus on tar spots. After winter there will be fewer of them than in summer, but we again assume you skipped this step in autumn. You can quickly handle tar using Gyeon Q²M Tar. Simply spray Q2M Tar on the affected area, let it work for a while (the gel consistency ensures it clings to the paint) and then wipe the surface with a microfiber cloth. In most cases the above chemical decontamination is sufficient; in case of heavy contamination you can also use clay. You can find more detailed information not only about claying in our other article how to decontaminate the paint, but now let's turn to washing.

Car shampoo completes the spring paint cleanse

After decontamination we finally get to the actual car wash. This will remove remaining chemicals from the previous steps and thoroughly clean the paint from all contaminants. Before washing, decide whether you will apply paint protection in the final step. If so, we recommend using a pure, pH-neutral shampoo without added waxes or other gloss-enhancing ingredients, for example Gyeon Q²M Bathe. If you do not want to continue with applying a new protection or if the paint already has functional ceramic protection, you can wash the paint with a shampoo containing wax or a more durable ceramic. Such a car shampoo will give the paint gloss and hydrophobic properties for several weeks to months and regular washing will keep the paint always protected, although with limited properties compared to full protection. For washing you will also need a microfiber wash mitt, a bucket for water (ideally two) and a drying towel. You can find more information in our older article how to wash a car.

Top-tier protection is provided by Gyeon Q2 CanCoat Evo

Currently we have only one recommendation for paint protection for the average person and that is Gyeon Q² CanCoat Evo. You ask why? CanCoat is a ceramic coating with a durability of 1 year or 12,000 km. For the season that will suffice for the vast majority of drivers, many even for the whole year. In addition, CanCoat inherits the most important properties of traditional ceramic coatings - it is resistant to UV, chemicals, and salt, gives the paint high gloss and excellent hydrophobic properties with great beading, and ensures easier washing and reduced adhesion of contaminants. For amateur detailers it brings other important advantages - CanCoat can be applied outdoors without restrictions and it is really easy to work with. Compared to ceramic protections, even a layperson can practically do no harm. For optimal results we recommend starting with degreasing using Gyeon Q²M Prep, which ensures perfect bonding with CanCoat. Then just dab a little CanCoat onto a microfiber cloth, spread over the paint and then wipe off. Do not be afraid of streaking - even if you take your time, CanCoat is literally foolproof. Additionally, you can use it on any part of the car, not only the paint but also wheels, plastics or lights. Note that a 200 ml bottle easily covers 10 cars. There's simply no question about it.

Liquid wipers must not be missing in the spring months

We're slowly finishing. To avoid being surprised by spring rains, we recommend applying liquid wipers to the glass. They ensure quick water drainage from the glass, better visibility in rainy weather and at higher speeds (over 70 km/h) even the possibility of not using conventional wipers at all. You will also appreciate easier removal of dead insects. If we follow the trend set by CanCoat and its ultra-easy application, we recommend Gyeon Q² QuickView. These innovative liquid wipers can be applied in a few minutes without any complicated preparation and last at least half a year. Just clean the window with a quality glass cleaner and apply Q2 QuickView. Thanks to the integrated felt applicator it's really easy. After 5 minutes wipe off the residues with a microfiber cloth (again without fear of drying) and you're done. We recommend applying it to side windows as well; the 120 ml volume will again cover several cars. If you want a more demanding preparation but up to 3 years of durability as a reward, you can choose the alternative Gyeon Q² View Evo. It's up to you which path to take; both of these top products are worth the invested time and money. For more information you can also watch our video on Youtube, where you can learn the detailed application procedure for the second-mentioned liquid wipers from Gyeon.

Satin black tyres will enhance the perfect result

Detailing is about details and one of them is the tyres. Satin black tyres are simply in and give the car flair. The drawback of most tyre "glosses" is their durability. They usually last in the order of days and their glory is ended by the first rain or wash. Gyeon Q² Tire, however, is different and in our experience survives several weeks even in rainy conditions. This is thanks to the high SiO2 load in its composition and its ability to penetrate deep into the rubber structure. For even higher durability Q2 Tire can also be layered. For a long-term result we recommend cleaning the tyres with Gyeon Q²M TireCleaner, which will take care of thorough cleaning and bonding with Q2 Tire. A strong combo for satin-black tyres with long-lasting effect.

In conclusion

Winter is long and road salt together with other aggressive chemicals can cause significant damage. Therefore do not underestimate the spring detox of your metal friend. The complete care mentioned in this article will take you an afternoon and the result is definitely worth the effort. A big advantage of the mentioned South Korean Gyeon products is not only the long-term effect and very easy application, but also the possibility to work without a garage, for example at a public self-service car wash. Remember the traditional rule - work in the shade and if that is not possible, then in the early morning or evening hours, ideally at temperatures above 18 degrees (at least when applying ceramic paint protection). The ideal conditions for this occur at the time of writing this article.